Home Design Alternatives for a Garage

Townhouses and apartment buildings often have carports instead of garages.

Cars need shelter to protect them when they're not in use, but no rule says that structure must be a garage, unless your insurance policy specifies it. Most homes come equipped with garages, but when they don't, or the garage has been confiscated for other uses, design alternatives keep your car and its paint tree sap- and bird poo-free and out of the weather.

The Carport

Often built as an extension of the roof line out from the house and supported by a wall or posts on a maximum of three sides, sometimes only two, a carport provides protection from the elements, but it doesn't protect it from extremes in temperature. Carports can house one, two or three cars, depending on how they are built; they might have half walls, posts or full walls or even detached from the house. Carports are open in the front without a garage door and sometimes in the back for a drive-through.

Awning Extensions

If your home had a garage converted into another room, it more than likely still has the driveway approach to it. When you live in areas of the country with milder weather, one alternative to the garage is to add a metal awning over the driveway adjacent to where a garage might be. Metal awnings offer inexpensive alternatives to building a full garage or even a carport, and they are usually assembled on site in about a half-day or full day.

Quonset Huts

During World War II, the U.S. Military improved on a design the British used in World War I, the Nissen Hut. Named the Quonset Hut for its birthplace in Rhode Island, the Quonset Hut is a structure made from a half-circle or arches, a configuration that allows the ends to be open or closed because the arch used in its design is so strong. These structures go up quickly, which is why the military used them for base deployment. Handy homeowners can order kits to serve in place of a garage and build them. Before building a carport, or adding any structured roof to a house, check with the local building department to ensure your design complies with building codes.

Tent Canopies

Another alternative to a garage is to use a tent canopy kit. These types of garage alternatives offer portability -- you can break them down and easily move them anywhere you want them. The structure is similar to erecting a camping tent, but on a much larger scale. Once the canopy frame is in place, install the weatherproof cover on it to protect your car, truck, recreational vehicle or boat. If you live in a windy area, this structure might not work so well unless you take extra precautions to ensure they don't blow away.